Denver Museum of Nature & Science Excavation Crews to Complete Field Operations on Ice Age Fossil Dig Site Near Snowmass Village

Focus Now Shifts to the Lab for Analysis of Specimens and
Samples

The Final Denver Museum of Nature & Science Field
Report from Snowmass Village: Friday, November 12,
2010

Note to Reporters and Editors: This will be the
last daily Field Report from the Denver Museum of Nature &
Science's Ice Age fossil excavation at Ziegler Reservoir near
Snowmass Village, Colorado. The Museum's "Mastodon Bureau" will
close up shop this weekend and head back to Denver. Periodic
updates on this project will continue from there.

Producing these updates each day from Snowmass Village has been a
true team effort. Special thanks to the people on (and in) the
ground-Dr. Kirk Johnson, Dr. Ian Miller, Dr. Steve Holen,
photographers Rick Wicker and Heather Rousseau, and videographers
Dave Baysinger and Chris Tribble-for their innumerable
contributions to the success of this experiment in science
communication.

This Weekend: There are just a couple things left
to do for Denver Museum of Nature & Science dig crews at the
Ziegler Reservoir Ice Age fossil site before they close down
operations for the winter.

After taking detailed photos yesterday, teams working on the first
Columbian mammoth discovered at the site will create sketches of
the fossils in the ground before removing the bones for
conservation and transport back to Denver. Museum scientists
decided to take an archaeological approach to the excavation of
these bones, just in case there was any evidence of human
association with the bones. None has been found so far. The fossils
remaining in the ground have been cleared of sediment, revealing a
complex, jumbled assortment of vertebrae, ribs, a tusk and the
pelvis of the juvenile female mammoth.

Over the past several weeks, crews have excavated the bones
of:

2 Columbian mammoths

3 Ice Age bison

1 Jefferson ground sloth (this species has never been found
before in Colorado)

5 American mastodon

1 small salamander

1 Ice Age deer

Fossils at the Ziegler Reservoir site also include:

Beaver chewed-wood

Small invertebrates including snails and insects

Many different types of plant fossils including fir and spruce
cones, grasses, seeds, pollen, and wood

Though the work at the dig site is winding down, this project is
only in its early stages. Next, Museum scientists, with the
assistance of outside experts, will being the long work of
preserving specimens, studying them, analyzing samples, and writing
their findings for publication in scientific journals.

As the analysis unfolds in the coming months, the Museum will
continue to provide updates about these spectacular discoveries.
Also, Museum crews hope to return to the dig site in May to
continue excavating and conducting scientific research on the site.
Over the winter, Museum scientists will work with the Snowmass
Water and Sanitation District to map out a plan for the
spring.

Media Availability: Dr. Ian Miller and Dr. Kirk
Johnson, the Museum's chief curator and Vice President of Research
and Collections will be available for phone interviews late today
by appointment.

For additional information about the excavation, interview clips,
video clips and still images from the site, please check the Denver
Museum of Nature & Science's home page and press
page.

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About the Denver Museum of Nature &
Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain
Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety
of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum
visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado,
Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado
Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum,
check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000.

Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are
made possible in part by generous funding from the citizens of
the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural
Facilities District.